Coffee Break: Menagerie Coffee
This bright, uncluttered coffeehouse opened last September in Old City.
Coffee Break explores the coffee scene
This week: Menagerie Coffee
Where: 18 S. 3rd St., Old City.
The lowdown: This bright, uncluttered coffeehouse opened last September in the heart of Philly's historic district. It appeals to coffee purists who prefer robustly flavored pour-overs and those wanting some gourmet grub with their artfully foamed latte.
Backstory: Co-owners and life partners April Nett, 26, and Elysa DiMauro, 28, met at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where Nett studied fine art and DiMauro, French horn performance.
Both worked in coffeehouses and restaurants there and here (DiMauro, a Philly native, at Bodhi, in Society Hill, and Wisconsin-born Nett at Elixr, off Rittenhouse Square). "We like to eat and we like to drink," Nett said. "Opening a coffeehouse has always been a long-term goal."
The beans: Menagerie gets its beans from Dogwood Coffee Co., of Minneapolis, and Ceremony Coffee Roasters, of Annapolis, Md. Beans from "guest roasters" - currently Rwanda Musasa, from Wisconsin-based Kickapoo Coffee - also occasionally show up on the menu.
Ambience: The decor is "Scandinavian farmhouse," Nett said. She and DiMauro like the woodsy, airy design elements of the Scandinavian style. That means simple lines and lots of nature - a terrarium and bamboo planters on tree-stump tables, mounted deer antlers on an exposed-brick wall and a floor-to-ceiling mural of Icelandic mountains.
The space also has a hip, upcycled vibe. The counter is refurbished wood from a Delaware bowling alley atop refinished doors from Germantown.
Stools are topped with cedar from an old water tower, and a vinyl bowling-alley couch invites lounging in front of the coffeehouse window.
Free Wi-Fi, too.
Beyond beans: Menagerie offers hot chocolate, cider and assorted loose-leaf teas; yogurt and granola; bagels, cookies and pastries; and a small sandwich menu. The breakfast sandwich is ham, maple syrup and pepper-jack cheese on an English muffin.
Lunchtime fare includes turkey, smoked Swiss and Russian dressing on pumpernickel.
Alt diets: Almond milk is the dairy substitute. ("It steams better than soy and has no estrogen the way soy does," Nett said.) The sandwich menu typically offers a vegetarian option (currently a three-cheese grilled cheese on sourdough).
Prices: Hand-poured coffees, about $4; Americanos and brewed coffees "on tap," $2 to $2.50; sandwiches, about $6; pastries, about $2.50.
Hours: Weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekends 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Social stuff: @MenagerieCoffee on Twitter and Instagram; menageriecoffee.wordpress.com.